The German Packaging Act (VerpackG)德国货物包装法

The German Packaging Act, known as VerpackG in Germany, is one of the most important laws for e-commerce in Germany. No matter whether you are a start-up, SME, or big player – if you sell in Germany, the laws are applicable, and the price of non-compliance is high.

德国包装法，在德国被称为 VerpackG，是德国电子商务最重要的法律之一。无论您是初创企业、中小企业还是大型企业——如果您在德国销售，法律适用，不合规的代价很高。

History and purpose of the Packaging Act包装法的历史和目的

The German Packaging Act, also known as VerpackG, came into force in January 2019. It is based on the latest revision of the EU Packaging Waste Directive from 2018. 德国包装法，也称为 VerpackG，于 2019 年 1 月生效。它基于 2018 年欧盟包装废物指令的最新修订版。

Both focus on the core principle of ‘extended producer responsibility’, or short EPR. This means that producers are made responsible for recycling the packaging of their goods. The term ‘producer’, however, includes importers and retailers, too.两者都关注“扩展生产者责任”或简称 EPR 的核心原则。这意味着生产商有责任回收其商品的包装。然而，“生产商”一词也包括进口商和零售商。

Through EPR legislation, the government aims to reduce packaging waste and improve recycling rates within the EU. Any party responsible for placing packaged products on the market must pay a fee for the recycling of their packaging waste.通过 EPR 立法，政府旨在减少包装废物并提高欧盟内部的回收率。负责将包装产品投放市场的任何一方都必须为其包装废物的回收支付费用。

This fee depends on the type of packaging material and is typically a few cents per kilogram.该费用取决于包装材料的类型，通常为每公斤几美分。

The law thereby creates an economic incentive for companies to use recyclable packaging and fewer resources altogether. The fees are also directly used to fund the national recycling system.因此，该法律为公司使用可回收包装和更少的资源创造了经济激励。这些费用还直接用于资助国家回收系统。

Thus, compliance with the Packaging Act is a step towards more sustainability in e-commerce.因此，遵守《包装法》是朝着电子商务更具可持续性迈出的一步。

Who is affected by the German Packaging Act?
谁受到德国包装法的影响？

The packaging law demands a recycling fee for all packaging which typically ends up in consumer or household waste.包装法要求对通常最终成为消费者或家庭垃圾的所有包装收取回收费。

This means that any B2C products are affected while in some cases it includes B2B sales as well, for instance when selling to small companies, hotels, or restaurants – where packaging usually ends up in the same waste stream. 这意味着任何 B2C 产品都会受到影响，而在某些情况下，它也包括 B2B 销售，例如在向小公司、酒店或餐馆销售时——包装通常最终会进入相同的废物流。

Extended producer responsibility generally affects the company which fills empty packaging with goods, or which puts packaged products on the market for the first time. Thus, the following parties are responsible for paying recycling fees:生产者延伸责任通常会影响将货物装满空包装或首次将包装产品投放市场的公司。因此，以下各方负责支付回收费用：

• Those who import products from abroad and sell them within Germany

• 从国外进口产品并在德国境内销售的人

• Those who manufacture products in Germany or have them manufactured under their own brand 在德国制造产品或以自己的品牌制造产品的人
  

• Those who sell products and ad additional packaging (e.g. shipping box in e-commerce)销售产品和广告附加包装的人（例如电子商务中的运输箱）

• Foreign companies selling directly to German consumers (cross-border b2c e-commerce) 直接向德国消费者销售的外国公司（跨境 b2c 电子商务）

Basically, anyone active in e-commerce selling physical goods to customers in Germany has obligations from the Packaging Act. There are also no exceptions, sales thresholds, or minimum quantities for small companies as in other countries. All obligated companies must register in the LUCID Packaging Register and obtain a Packaging License from a German recycling scheme.基本上，任何积极从事电子商务向德国客户销售实物商品的人都有《包装法》的义务。与其他国家一样，小公司也没有例外、销售门槛或最低数量。所有有义务的公司必须在LUCID 包装登记处注册，并从德国回收计划中获得包装许可证。

What are possible consequences of non-compliance?
不遵守的可能后果是什么？

Pursuant to VerpackG §34, failing to comply with these obligations can result in monetary fines of up to 200,000 EUR. 根据 VerpackG §34，不遵守这些义务可能导致高达 200,000 欧元的罚款。

Moreover, the LUCID Packaging Register is visible to the public and any competitor can easily identify if a company is registered or not. In the latter case, German law allows competitors to send a cease and desist letter which can be very costly for the recipient.此外，LUCID Packaging Register 对公众是可见的，任何竞争对手都可以轻松识别公司是否已注册。在后一种情况下，德国法律允许竞争对手发送停止和终止信函，这对收件人来说可能非常昂贵。

This is common practice and the main reason why following the German Packaging Act is so important even for small businesses. 这是常见的做法，也是遵守德国包装法对小型企业如此重要的主要原因。

Who must license packaging?谁必须许可包装？

1.) Product- or sales-packaging
1.) 产品或销售包装

This term applies to the package of the product itself. Depending on the product type, it could be a glass bottle, plastic tube, or cardboard box; all products are packaged in one way or another.该术语适用于产品本身的包装。根据产品类型，它可以是玻璃瓶、塑料管或纸板箱；所有产品都以一种或另一种方式包装。

The responsible party for licensing product packaging is generally the company that packages a product or has it packaged in their name. If the product is imported, the importer is responsible.许可产品包装的责任方通常是包装产品或以其名义包装产品的公司。如果产品是进口的，进口商负责。

2.) Shipment packaging
2.) 装运包装

Online retailers use additional packaging to ensure the safe delivery of their goods. This includes mailer boxes, envelopes, all types of filling material, or adhesive tapes used in the process. The responsible party is again the company that packs the products.在线零售商使用额外的包装来确保货物的安全交付。这包括邮筒、信封、所有类型的填充材料或过程中使用的胶带。责任方再次是包装产品的公司。

These are typically the online retailers themselves, but can also be external fulfillment service providers, in case their company name, address, or brand is visible on the package. (Example: Amazon FBA shipments in the typical Amazon-branded boxes.)这些通常是在线零售商本身，但也可以是外部履行服务提供商，以防他们的公司名称、地址或品牌在包裹上可见。（例如：典型的亚马逊品牌包装箱中的亚马逊 FBA 货件。）

This leaves plenty of room for interesting constellations in e-commerce:
这为电子商务中有趣的星座留下了足够的空间：

Do you purchase your products from a producer or retailer from within Germany and sell it via an online shop? 🡪 In this case, you must only license the shipment packaging.您是否从德国境内的生产商或零售商处购买产品并通过在线商店销售？🡪 在这种情况下，您必须只许可货件包装。

Do you purchase the same products from China, for instance? 🡪 You must license the product packaging as well as the shipment packaging.
例如，您是否从中国购买相同的产品？🡪 您必须对产品包装和运输包装进行许可。

If you sell the same products via Amazon FBA Amazon must license the shipment packaging.如果您通过亚马逊 FBA 销售相同的产品，亚马逊必须许可货件包装。

3.) Service packaging
3.) 服务包装

This type of packaging is especially relevant for restaurants or cafés. It is typically filled at the time and place of consumption. Prime examples are pizza boxes or coffee-to-go cups.这种类型的包装特别适用于餐馆或咖啡馆。它通常在消费的时间和地点填充。最好的例子是比萨盒或外带咖啡杯。

Although the company that packages the product is generally responsible for service packaging as well, obligations can be transferred to the manufacturer of the packaging. This means that service packaging can be purchased pre-licensed, in which case the café or restaurant has no further responsibilities.虽然包装产品的公司通常也负责服务包装，但义务可以转移给包装制造商。这意味着可以预先获得许可购买服务包装，在这种情况下，咖啡馆或餐厅没有进一步的责任。

4.) Deposit bottles or returnable packaging
4.) 存放瓶子或可回收包装

These are excluded from the obligations of the law, as they are returned and do not end up in consumer waste.这些被排除在法律义务之外，因为它们会被退回并且不会成为消费者废物。

Packaging laws in other countries其他国家的包装法

There are packaging laws in other countries besides Germany as well. As mentioned earlier, the German Packaging Act is based on the EU Packaging Waste Directive.除德国外，其他国家也有包装法。如前所述，德国包装法是基于欧盟包装废弃物指令。

Consequently, each EU member state has its own packaging law, with different rules, institutions, and recycling systems. And even some countries outside the EU have passed similar legislation因此，每个欧盟成员国都有自己的包装法，有不同的规则、制度和回收系统。甚至一些欧盟以外的国家也通过了类似的立法。

When online shops offer international shipping, they must comply with the law of the destination countries.当网上商店提供国际运输时，他们必须遵守目的地国家的法律。

As research for every country can be cumbersome, a digital compliance service can save considerable amounts of time and money.由于每个国家/地区的研究都可能很繁琐，因此数字合规服务可以节省大量时间和金钱。

For larger businesses, it may be advisable to outsource compliance altogether. 对于较大的企业，最好将合规性完全外包。